Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Vegetables

While slow braised beef roast would be my husband's top favorite roast, a pork roast rules in my eyes, and the slow cooker is a great vehicle for it for sure. Though most people think of the cut only for smoking or slow cooking for pulled pork sandwiches, I love a good pork shoulder or Boston butt prepared as a roast. This preparation is also great with a leaner pork loin however.

Both the butt and the shoulder are part of the same area of the pig, the shoulder, with the butt simply being up higher on the shoulder than the shoulder and the picnic, which is lower. None of them are anywhere near related to the rear end of the pig, though speaking of a pork butt does tend to bring up a chuckle, doesn't it?

This recipe is excellent as a stand alone roast using only the aromatics, or go ahead and add potatoes along with the onion, carrots and celery in the slow cooker to make it a great, basic meal in one. I personally love to use the drippings to make a great gravy to serve over homemade mashed potatoes or perfectly steamed rice too, but even if you don't, do save those drippings and freeze them. It's speedier to make the gravy on the top of the stove, rather than in the slow cooker, and if you're using the shoulder or butt, you'll want to use a fat separator to get rid of the excess fat before making gravy or freezing it. Remember, vegetables should always be added to the bottom and sides of the slow cooker, rather than on top.

Here's how to make this delicious slow cooker pork roast I think your family will love!

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium high. Sprinkle garlic salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning generously on all sides of the roast. If you prefer, you can stud the roast with slivers of garlic, and substitute kosher salt for seasoning.

If you have one, use a stainless skillet to brown the roast in 2 tablespoons of oil on all sides. This will enable you to scrape up the fond - the browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Pour off the excess fat and add 1/2 cup of water to the skillet to scrape up the browned bits in the bottom. If you only have non-stick skillets you can skip this step and simply add the water to the slow cooker.

Meanwhile, add 3 large carrots, scraped and cut into chunks, 1 stalk of celery, cut into chunks, and 10 small new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters to the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. You can, of course, sub in whatever potatoes you prefer. I like to use the red potatoes because the skins are tender and leaving them on helps to hold them together too. Pour the juices from the skillet over the veggies and sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper.

Make a well in the center of the vegetables.

Transfer the roast, fat side up, to the slow cooker.

Smear the mushroom soup on the top and sides of the roast.

Sprinkle with the thyme and sage. I had some fresh sage so I used that with dried thyme.

Cover and cook for about 7 to 8 hours on high, 9 to 10 on low. Times will vary according to how your slow cooker works. In the end, roast will be fall apart tender.

Remove in large sections to a platter, trimming off any excess fat.

Add the veggies to the platter and tent with foil while you make gravy with drippings if desired. Can also simply skim the fat from the drippings and spoon juices over the roast. Add a side salad or a green veggie, rolls or bread and iced tea, for a complete meal.

Heat oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium high. Sprinkle garlic salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning generously on all sides of the roast. Brown the roast in the oil on all sides. Pour off the excess fat and add 1/2 cup of water to the skillet to scrape up the browned bits in the bottom.

Add the carrots, celery and potatoes to the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Pour the juices from the skillet over the veggies and sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper. Make a well in the center of the vegetables and transfer the roast, fat side up, to the slow cooker. Smear the mushroom soup on top and sprinkle with the thyme and sage.

Cover and cook 7 to 8 hours on high, 9 to 10 on low. Times will vary according to how your slow cooker works. Roast will be fall apart tender. Remove in large sections to a platter, trimming off any excess fat, add the veggies around the roast and tent with foil while you make gravy with drippings if desired. Use a gravy separator to remove the fat. Can also skim off the fat and spoon drippings over the roast. Add a side salad, green veggies, rolls or bread and iced tea, for a complete meal.

~Cook's Notes~

I used a 6 pound boneless Boston butt, which I cooked about 7 hours. Can also trim some of the fat cap off if desired. Substitute a bone-in pork roast, or a leaner pork loin roast, just keep in mind the size and adjust time appropriately. For a 3 to 4 pound loin, probably about 6 to 8 hours on low. If using a loin, increase the cream soup to two cans. If you prefer, you can stud the roast with slivers of garlic, and substitute kosher salt for seasoning.

To make gravy mix together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water or milk. Use a fat separator to remove the fat from the slow cooker drippings and transfer drippings to a large skillet. Bring to a boil and whisk in the cornstarch slurry; reduce heat to medium and whisk until mixture thickens and reaches desired consistency.

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26 comments:

I recently made a roast very similar to this one but used Campbell's cream of onion soup; it was divine! I'm leaning toward using cream of onion anywhere that I would have used a cream soup! It's sooo delicious!

I cannot remember the last time I had roast pork, but that first photo makes me want to head for the freezer and lay one out. I think the next time we want Mexican, I'll make this before rather than using my BBQ.

I tried this tonight and it was great. 6.5 lb boston butt with bone, cooked on low for 9.5 hours....made gravy with a flour roux. This was awesome with mashed potatoes....tomorrow we will have open faced pork and gravy sandwiches! Thanks for the great recipe!

Hi Terri! I would say maybe 7 to 8 hours on low should work. Even better if you can cook it for 1 hour on high, then switch to low for 7. I shared a reader recipe here that called for a 2 to 3 pound pork loin to go 7 to 8 hours on high! I did that, was skeptic, but it sure turned out great! Of course, that roast was pretty much submerged in liquid and being cooked along with dried beans, so 2 variables are the recipe and how your cooker cooks.

I usually cook a 6.5 lb boston butt roast in my slow cooker for 9 hrs on low....this time i am cooking a 3.5 lb roast.....do i need to decrease the time? I just dont want to over cook it.....what do you think?

Thanks for the recipe. It is super easy and my family loved it. I had some roasted garlic mushroom soup, so I substitute that and forgot the herbs for the top, but they said that the meat was wonderful (I am a vegetarian, so I didn't try it). My roast was about 3 lbs. and I cooked it while I was at work for about 10 hours. I will make this again!!!

I made this and it was WONDERFUL. Just tender as can be. I love this recipe and told my sister about it. I left out the ceyanne pepper, and only used onions and potatoes as that's all I had. It was still GREAT!

Hi Ethan! Yes, if your roast is netted leave it on for this recipe. It will hold the roast together during the cooking process & you'll just cut it off when you remove the roast from the slow cooker. Now, if you're using that same roast to make a pulled pork, you can go ahead and pull it off before cooking. It will fall apart as it cooks, but that's really what you want for pulled pork!

I am so glad I found this recipe again. I made this once, and I LOVED it but I couldn't find it in my file. Finally, I found it at work (I had saved it in my personal favorites). I'm so glad I found it because I want to make it this weekend. If you haven't tried this recipe, you need to. It's the BEST, most tender, flavorable pork roast!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Mary...I'm going to 4X your recipe and slow-cook this in an 18 quart roasting pan with "two" 10 lb pork shoulders for a homeless meal at our church...if I slow-cook on Low - do you think 10 or 12 hours would do it? thx

Oh gosh, I really don't know! I don't have a Nesco type oven, so I don't really have any experience with them. I looked at the online manual but it just wasn't very helpful with the slow cooker function. I'm thinking you're on track but I just really can't say for sure!

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